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Everyone procrastinates from time to time; it's easy to do when there is something you don't want to do or that seems too big to tackle. Often, people procrastinate simply because they don't manage their time wisely, always putting themselves a little behind on projects or making themselves late for appointments and meetings. Knowing how to be on time for appointments and stop procrastinating will ultimately relieve stress and improve your reputation and professionalism.

Steps

1

Understand that everyone's time is just as valuable as yours. Always being late for meetings or appointments is not only annoying to everyone else who has to wait for you or who's attention you're disrupting, but it's disrespectful to those who managed to get there on time or early.

2

Recognize the stress this bad habit causes you and others. Always being the one who is late will not only cause others stress, it could cause a backlash and give you a reputation for being undependable.

3

Set up a calendar with a programmable reminder on your computer or phone. These usually default to remind you 15 minutes prior to the appointment or task scheduled on your calendar. If you have to drive more than a couple miles to an appointment or meeting, set the reminder to go off early enough for you to leave and get to the appointment or meeting on time.

The most important factor in making the reminder work is to put everything down and leave as soon as the reminder goes off. This seems pretty obvious, but if you're a habitual procrastinator, you tend to tell yourself, "I'll leave that in a minute" and the next thing you know, 15 more minutes have passed, and you're now late.

4

Assess the complexity of a task or meeting in time to complete the task or get the most out of the meeting. If the appointment is just one you are attending for informational purposes and all you'll need to be prepared is a notepad and pen, then set these items out before you have to leave. However, if you are the facilitator of the meeting or an active participant and you need to prepare handouts or some type of presentation, complete all materials before leaving the office the day before the meeting or appointment. Waiting until the last minute will invariably result in something critical being forgotten.

5

Break down a task into easily manageable pieces so you don't defeat yourself before you even start. Sometimes procrastinating is an almost natural response to something that seems too daunting; instead of tackling it, you complete other smaller, more manageable projects first, pushing the bigger task farther and farther behind.

For instance, if you are preparing for a big meeting or important appointment, don't let the complexity of the meeting hinder your work. Instead, break down the presentation you're preparing into small portions with individual deadlines so it's completed in plenty of time to make it to the appointment or meeting fully prepared.

6

Create a work environment where you can be the most productive. This includes making sure you have everything you need to complete your task within arm's reach so you're not having to get up every few minutes to hunt for something.

If you're too easily distracted by the phone, set it to "Do Not Disturb" or turn off the ringer for an hour so you can have at least one hour of uninterrupted time.

If you work at home and the TV distracts you, turn it off.

If quiet music helps you relax and focus, program favorite music into your MP3 player or your laptop. (Avoid radios as advertisements, radio announcers and call-in contests can be too distracting.)

7

Reward yourself for not procrastinating, as this will help motivate you to change and improve a bad habit or behavior. If you previously were the one always running in the door just as a meeting was starting or you're always apologizing to people with whom you have appointments, set a goal of making it to the next five appointments at least 10 minutes before start time. Then when you've accomplished this goal, splurge on something you enjoy as a reward for replacing a bad habit with a good one.

Article Info

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has also been viewed 7,510 times.